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You can now modify the default line spacing in Hack fonts with our new `font-line` tool. Hack uses a default value of 20% UPM for line spacing. Decrease the value to tighten the spacing, increase it to widen your spacing. Modification details are available on the `font-line` repository:
or [use one of our handy shell scripts](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/tree/master/tools/line-spacing) that automates the `font-line` install and line spacing modification process for a range of line spacing % UPM values between 10 - 30%. Select the script that fits your needs and execute it in the download directory that contains your .ttf and/or .otf font files **before you install them**.
It has deep roots in the libre, open source typeface community and expands upon the contributions of the Bitstream Vera & DejaVu projects. The face has been re-designed with a larger glyph set, modifications of the original glyph shapes (including distinct point styles and semi-bold punctuation weight in the regular set to make analphabetic characters less transparent), and meticulous attention to metrics (including numerous spacing adjustments to improve the rhythm of the face and the legibility of code at small text sizes). The large x-height + wide aperture + low contrast design combined with PostScript hinting/hint replacement programs and a TrueType instruction set make it highly legible at commonly used source code text sizes with a sweet spot that runs in the 8px - 12px range on modern desktop and laptop monitors. Combine it with an HD monitor and you can comfortably work at 6 or 7px sizes. The full set of changes are available in the [changelog](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/blob/master/CHANGELOG.md).
The font binaries are released under a license that permits unlimited print, desktop, and web use for commercial and non-commercial applications. It may be embedded and distributed in documents and applications. The source is released in the widely supported UFO format and may be modified to derive new typeface branches. The full text of the license is available in [LICENSE.md](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/blob/master/LICENSE.md)
Hack is available for download in either [OTF][otf_latest] or [TTF][ttf_latest] formats. The best format and install approach depends on your operating system. If you do not know which format is optimal for your system, the TTF files should be used as your default.
Because Hack is under active development and updates are released frequently we highly recommended using a package manager or other auto-updating utility. While the package manager releases may be a bit delayed relative to the repository releases, the package managers automate and simplify font updates on your system. Please note that the Hack packages in these package managers are not maintained by the Hack project developers. If you come across a problem with the release schedule in your package manager, please report it directly to the respective package maintainer on your platform.
The easiest way to install and update Hack on OS X is to use the [Homebrew](http://brew.sh/) package manager. To install the fonts on OS X use the command:
**OS X Users Please Note**: There has been a change in the Homebrew-Cask system that requires an update of `brew-cask`. If you encounter an error during your Hack install attempt, please execute the following command and then install with the above command again:
To install the fonts manually you may use either the [OTF][otf_latest] or [TTF][ttf_latest] formats. Download the zip file and extract it. Double clicking each of the font files will open a preview in [Font Book](https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201749) and the "Install Font" button will copy the font to the correct system location.
Most Linux and BSD systems can handle either [TTF][ttf_latest] or [OTF][otf_latest] format fonts. We are aware of package manager support on the following distros:
* *Arch Linux*: install the [ttf-hack](https://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-hack/) package from the community repository ([otf-hack](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/otf-hack/) is available in the AUR):
* *Ubuntu / Debian*: install either [fonts-hack-ttf](http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/fonts-hack-ttf) or [fonts-hack-otf](http://packages.ubuntu.com/xenial/fonts-hack-otf). Packages are currently available for Ubuntu Xenial or later and the Debian unstable branch:
For older systems either manually download and install one of the deb packages or see the [manual install instructions](https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Fonts) and [issue report #189](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/issues/189).
For other systems, check for packages using your distro's package manager search function. If no packages exist download your preferred format and copy the font files to either your system font folder (often `/usr/share/fonts/`) or user font folder (often `~/.local/share/fonts/`). On systems using Fontconfig you may need to regenerate the font caches and indexes after copying the files (e.g. `fc-cache -s; mkfontscale <install_path>; mkfontdir <install_path>`).
On Windows, the [TTF][ttf_latest] format files are recommended. Download the zip, extract the files, and double click on them to open them in the font previewer. Clicking the "Install" button will then copy them to the correct place on your system.
@texhex created a [multi-font installer for Windows 7 - Windows 10](https://github.com/texhex/OSFontPack) that is actively maintained and includes the current release of the Hack fonts. Windows has a complex font caching mechanism that has led to problems for many users who try to install a new version of the Hack fonts over previously installed versions. Michael's tool addresses these caching issues. See [issue report #177](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/issues/177) for details about the tool and check out his repository for more information.
**Windows Users Please Note**: If you have previously installed the Hack fonts on your Windows system and are having issues with installation of a newer version, please remove the old Hack fonts before you attempt the new font install. Either navigate to `c:\windows\fonts` and delete all Hack fonts in the directory, or open the directory path `Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Fonts`, right click on each of the Hack fonts and delete them. See [issue report #152](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/issues/152) and [issue report #177](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/issues/177) for additional information.
Hack webfonts are released in eot, ttf, woff, and woff2 formats. They include a complete Hack character set build and a smaller [basic Latin](http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0000.pdf) + [Latin-1 supplement](http://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U0080.pdf) Unicode character block build. The latter build set is smaller in size and is intended to improve page loading times when you do not need the entire Hack character set.
Thanks to the generous gang at [jsDelivr](https://github.com/jsdelivr/jsdelivr), you can use a CDN to include Hack on your site with a single stylesheet link in the head of your HTML files. There is no need to download font files from the repository or serve them from your web server.
Average latency, average uptime, and total downtime data for jsDelivr vs. other popular CDN are available for [http](http://www.cdnperf.com/#jsdelivr,cdnjs,google,yandex,microsoft,jquery,bootstrapcdn/http/30) and [https](http://www.cdnperf.com/#jsdelivr,cdnjs,google,yandex,microsoft,jquery,bootstrapcdn/https/30) protocols. Please understand that this is a free CDN resource and, while it does have industry backing, it could go away at anytime. If this is a critical issue for your use scenario, please purchase your own CDN plan and host the webfonts yourself.
The **bold**, *italic*, and <b><i>bold italic</i></b> text styles are formatted with HTML using `<b>text block</b>`, `<i>text block</i>`, and `<b><i>text block</i></b>` HTML tags, respectively.
- [Download .ttf fonts](https://github.com/chrissimpkins/Hack/tree/master/build/webfonts/fonts/web-ttf) - **Note**: these differ from the desktop versions and are intended for web use
Push the `css` and `fonts` directories to your web server, then import **one** of the included CSS files in the `head` section of the HTML where you would like to use it.
You can alter the path to the Hack files (e.g. place the files in a `hack` resource subdirectory); however, please make sure that you preserve the relative file paths included in the release archive (*or be prepared to modify the paths to the font files*).
Then style your text by including `Hack` in the appropriate `font-family` property of your CSS. For example:
```css
code {
font-family: Hack, monospace;
}
```
The **bold**, *oblique*, and <b><i>bold oblique</i></b> text styles are formatted with HTML using `<b>text block</b>`, `<i>text block</i>`, and `<b><i>text block</i></b>` HTML tags, respectively.
##### Webfont Caching and gzip Compression with Cloudflare
*The following information applies to both paid and free accounts*
If you use [Cloudflare](https://cloudflare.com), woff files are cached by default. To cache the remaining webfont files, add a new page rule for the path to your fonts directory:
```
yoursite.com/path/to/fonts/
```
and set the rule to `Cache Everything`.
Cloudflare automates gzip compression of ttf, eot, woff, and svg font files. The service does not gzip compress woff2 files.
